Biographie

Strong authoritative voice and dedicated Shakespearean bearing

Roles in classical plays and Shakespearean dramas

Frequently plays leaders or authority figures

Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987)

Wry self-deprecating sense of humor

In episodes of Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987), when he got up, he had a habit of tugging on the uniform where it was creased. Jonathan Frakes jokingly called this the Picard Maneuver, and the name stuck.

According to Brent Spiner, Stewart largely affected the way Americans pronounce the word "data". On Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987), the name of Spiner's character, Data, was intended to be pronounced "dat-uh", as was commonly used in American English as the time, but Patrick Stewart's used the British pronunciation "day-tah" during the first table read and that was subsequently used for the series. Spiner credits Stewart's pronunciation, coupled with the popularity of the series, for making "day-tah" the more commonly used pronunciation in American English vernacular.

In 2013, when Sir Patrick Stewart married singer/songwriter Sunny Ozell, it was Sir Ian McKellen who they asked to officiate the ceremony. Friends Stewart and McKellen have co-starred in many projects over the years, perhaps most notably as nemeses Charles Xavier and Magneto in the X-Men movies.

When (presumably) nominated to complete the Ice Bucket Challenge (which involves filming yourself having a bucket of ice tipped over you or pay a forfeit to charity), Stewart released a wordless video in which he wrote out a cheque, then took two ice cubes from a bucket, put them in a glass of whisky, and toasted the camera.

During the first season of Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987), he was so convinced that he was going to be fired from the series that he did not unpack his bags for six weeks.

[on whether or not he is typecast by audiences as Jean-Luc Picard] I think perhaps when I first walk in front of the camera they'll say, "Aha, there, ah, yeah, Jean-Luc, we recognize him despite that charming little mustache." I believe that audiences are really smart enough to let go of that pretty quickly, but that's also my job as an actor to persuade them that, you know, Jean-Luc Picard is left behind and this is someone entirely different... I mean, I'm an actor dedicated to transforming myself and to creating original pieces of work, and I will not accept that my life is going to be forever connected to Jean-Luc Picard in the roles that I play. On the other hand, I'm absolutely delighted that he's still in my life. Actually, I think my appearance in The Simpsons and an appearance that I did on Sesame Street - in praise of the letter B - were perhaps the two most distinguished bits of work that I've done in the United States.

[on his love for Beavis et Butt-Head (1993)] Oh, yes, my passion for them remains the same... I think it's one of the most original and brilliant pieces of television that we've seen in recent years. The dialogue is delightful. I simply sit and giggle and laugh all the time.

[on preparing for the role of Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men (2000)] I read a lot of comic books.

I was brought up in a very poor and very violent household. I spent much of my childhood being afraid.

I would like to see us get this place right first before we have the arrogance to put significantly flawed civilizations out onto other planets, even though they may be utterly uninhabited.

[on his initial belief that he would be fired from Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987)] When it first started, I didn't think that I would survive beyond the pilot. I did not unpack; I didn't see the point. I thought the producers would come to their senses and realize they'd made a grave error in casting me. I was certain that I'd be on my way back to London... Eventually, it became clear to me that not only wasn't I going to go away, the series wasn't going to go away. I stayed, and have relished every moment.